Upright piano action



April 17, 1951 A. F. KNOBLAUGH uPRmHT PIANO ACTION 2 Sheets-Sheet l .Filed Jan. 5, 1950 INVENTOR. 4T/wwwa f2 /fvaL/n/@m April 17, 1951 A. F. KNOBLAUGH 2,548,890

- UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION Filed Jan. 5, 195o 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Hl VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 17, 1951 OFFICE UERiG-H'ii PIANO ACTION Armand F. Enoblaugh, Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to The Baldwin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application January 5, 1950, Serial No. 136,965

16 Claims.

This application is a continuation-impart of my copending application Serial No. 68,847, Iiiled Jan-uary 3, 1949, and bearing the same title, now abandoned.

My invention relates to pianos and particularly to small upright pianos in which the action mechanism for operating the hammers is located at least partially below the level of the playing keys.

One object of the invention is to provide a key and action connecting mechanism in an upright piano of small height, which is not costly to constructand assemble into the piano.

Another object is to provide a connecting mechanism which permits keys and/or the action to be readily removed from and reinserted in a piano.

Still another object is to provide a connecting mechanism, the members of whichr corresponding to the respective keys and hammers are individually removable and may be reinserted in a ready manner.

Another object is to provide a connecting mechanism occupyingl small height above the keys, so that key cover boards, known as iallboards, of simple design and operation can be included in a piano.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improvements in motion transmitting abstracts for piano actions and combinations of abstracts and guiding means.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a piano action of inexpensive and improved construction wherein the abstract assembly including guiding ineans may readily be removed from the instrument with the action assembly but without disconnection of the individual elements.

The manner in which the above objects are attained, and the attainment oi other objects which will be pointed out later herein or will become apparent to those skilled in the art on reading this specification will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a piano action, key, and connecting mechanism.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a connecting rod and adjacent portion of a guide rail.

Fig-ure 3 is a perspective View of the front part of a wippen.

Figure 4 is a front elevational View of the front part of a wippen and the lower part of a connecting rod, as seen at ri-ffi in Figure l.

Figure 5 is a partial elevationalV View showing an improved abstract device, its guiding means, the mode of its connection to the wippen and its engagement with the capstan screw of a key.

Figure 6 is a vertical elevational view of the abstract itself.

Figure 7 is an exploded view illustrative of a mode of making the abstract.

Figure 8 is a partial plan view of a modied guiding means.

Referring iirst lto Figure l, an upright action I having the usual elements (which thus do not require detailed description), is integrated on a main rail 2 with brackets 3 attached for supporting the action in a piano in a known manner. At the rear of the action are the piano strings 5 struck by respective hammers 6.

As is illustrated, the action I is partially below the level oi` a keyboard of playing keys 1 supported on a keyframe 8. The primary motivating lever of the action is the wippen 9, located at a lower level than the key frame and rearwardly pivoted so as to be swingable in a vertical plane. There are, of course, as many such wippens in the instrument as corresponding keys.

'The front end of the wippen is reduced in width, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and into the lower side of which reduced portion is cut a keyhole-shaped slot I0 which is bushed with cloth. The rear end of the key l carries a capstan screw Connecting each key of the piano and the corresponding wippen is an abstract rod or sticker I 2, preferably of the light metal aluminum or an aluminum alloy. This generally vertical extending rod I2 throughout most of its length is of substantially constant circular cross-section. As is illustrated, the top portion of the rod above the key has been bent forward and ilattened to form a horizontal shelf portion I3 resting upon the capstan screw II of the key. For padding, the shelf i3 may be enclosed in a tubular sleeve I4 of textile material, rubber, or the like, stretched over the shelf and preferably cemented thereto.

The bottom portion of the rod I2 is pivoted to the wippen 9 in a feature now to be described. As shown, this lower portion of the rod has been milled to reduced thickness and a horizontal hole drilled in the milled section, into which a metal lpin I5 has been tightlydriven. In the conguration as illustrated, this pin I5 extends axially with the keyhole slot Il)Y in the wippen and the outer portion of the pin is bent up. The pin I5 and the slot I 0 are accommodated to each other so that the pin can be snapped into the slot, passing very snugly through the reduced outer portion of the slot, and becoming pivoted freely in the inner portion. The bent-up end of the pin and the milled section of the rod I2 function as end guides inthis pivotal connection, as particularly shown in Figure 4.

To complete a guidefor the rod I2 so as to locate its position definitely and to Vconne it to desired Vertical motion, VI have provided a metal guide rail I6 attached by screws II to the rear part of the key frame 8 below `the keys 'I so as to extend rearwardlyV therefrom in its Width. The rail I6 extends in length along the entire compass of the keyboard and as illustrated in Figure 2 has a series of keyhole shaped slots I8 open to its rear edge. These slots I8 are bushed in a continuous manner by a fabric or rubber strip I9 cemented suitably to the rail. There are, of course, as many slots I8 as there are corresponding rods I2 and keys 1 in the piano. The inner portion of each slot I8 is circular as shown, of such size that the rod I2 guided therein slides freely in this inner portion.

To remove an individual rod I2 from the structure the rod is first disengaged from its wippen 9 and then raised and turned axially through substantially a right angle. When the rod or abstract is so turned, the pin I5 will slide through the accommodating outer restricted portion of the slot I8 in the guide rail I5, to permit the withdrawal of the rod. Rods are installed in a correspondingly reversed manner.

The removal of the entire action I is readily accomplished in my invention. The guide rail I6 is unscrewed from the key frame 8 and moved rearwardly, moving all the rods I2 correspondingly. The rail is attached temporarily to the action and the action then removed in a known manner. Installation may be accomplished in a correspondingly reversed manner. It will be apparent that the removal and installation of keys is quite easily performed in my structure.

Referring to Figures 5 to 8 inclusive, I have illustrated a modified structure which I have found somewhat less expensive to construct and somewhat more positive in its action. The abstract or sticker 28 is, as before, a rod preferably of light metal. Its upper end is bent over and is preferably iattened in a die as at 2l. A pad of sound-deadening material 22 may be attached to the iiat under surface of the bent-over portion.

At the lower end of the rod I rst form a bore 23. This can be done rapidly by drilling the end of the rod. A non-corrosive wire of suitable stiiness is formed by bending into a rectangular loop 24 and a shank 25, directed away from the loop, positioned substantially midway between the sides of the loop, and formed the loop 24 lies at a right angle to the direcn tion of extension of the bent-over portion 2| of the rod. It will be understood that the mode oi afxing the wire element to the rod as described above produces a non-rotative connection between these elements so that the relationship just described will be maintained.

The loop 24 may be made as wide as desired so that it is not neecssary to reduce the end portion of the wippen 8a as much as as the wippen 9 of Figure 3, unless this be desired for some other purpose. The wippen is provided with the conventional bushed key slot described above. rIhe bail portion 2,40; of the loop can be engaged in the key slot in the manner described above, whereupon the sides of the loop will act to prevent axial displacement of the bail portion. The abstract or sticker 2D is thus pivoted to the wippen in a secure fashion.

An improved guide means is shown at 21 in Iii Figure 8. It may be made of relatively thin sheet metal. One edge of it is turned up to stiften the structure as at 28. Elongated slots 29 are provided whereby the guide may be adjustably attached to the key bed or key base, as by screws 30 (in Figure 5). Felt or other resilient washers 3I are preferably used in connection with these screws, and an angular bushing 32 of suitable substance may be used beneath the guide if desired.

The edge of the guide opposite the turned-up flange 28 is provided with a series of suitably spaced holes 33, larger than the diameter of the abstract or sticker and opening as before to the edge of the guide by means of slots 34. These slots are of less width than the holes 33 and the diameter of the abstract or sticker 2U.

Instead of bushing these holes and slots on their interior surfaces as hereinabove described in connection with Figure 2, I have found that a very satisfactory and much cheaper construction may be provided by cementing a strip 35 of felt or other suitable guiding and sound-deadening material to the upper surface or" the metallic guide element 21. The strip is provided with holes 36 of approximately the diameter of the abstracts or stickers 2U so as to guide them without undue play; and the holes 36 are connected with the outer edge of the strip 35 by slits 31. The holes 36 formed in the strip 35 will respond in location to the holes 3?. in the guide member so as to be substantially concentric therewith and the slits 31 will be so formed as to lie substantially centrally of the slots 34.

This gives a noiseless construction in which the abstracts are slidably retained by the guide but are not disengageable therefrom in directions transverse the length of the abstract. When it becomes desirable to remove a single abstract or sticker, its loop portion is rst disengaged from the wippen. The abstract is then drawn upwardly in its hole 36 until the loop portion is reached. Then as before the abstract is rotated through an angle of about to position its iwire loop substantially transverse the length of the guide member 21, whereupon the wire loop may be withdrawn from the guide through a slot 34 and the corresponding slit 31. Reengagement of the abstract with the guide can be effected by a reversal of these operations, the arrangement being a particular advantage in assembling pianos.

By my invention I have proveded not only a novel, strong and inexpensive abstract, but also a new combination of abstract and guiding means which has a number of important advantages in addition to its low cost. The various abstracts cannot become disengaged from the guiding means so long as they remain in engagement with the various wippens The turned-over upper portions of the abstracts are maintained accurately in alignment with the capstan screws II since the abstract is non-rotative with respect to the wippen so long as it remains in engagement therewith. When occasion arises to remove the action from the piano, the abstracts and guide means can be removed as a unit therewith by merely'unfastening the guide means from the key bed or key base, moving it still in engagement with the various abstracts toward the action proper, and tying or otherwise fastening it in place. The light metal construction of the abstracts, preferably also the guide means, makes accidental disengagement of the abstracts from the -wippens unlikely. Nor, as explained above,

. 5, can the abstracts become disengaged from the guide means so long as they remain in engagement with the wippens.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in my invention without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described the invention,`those features which I claim as new `and novel and which I desire to protect by Letters Patent, comprise:

1. In a piano an action rail, a wippen pivoted to said rail, a key frame located above said wippen, a key mounted for actuation on said frame and an abstract for connecting said wippen and said key, said abstract being a rigid, rod-like member of elongated form having an angularly disposed end contacting said key and a pivotal element connecting said abstract and said wippen substantially in line with the axis of said abstract, said element having means to prevent axial rotation of said abstract, and guide means for said abstract located below its key contacting end at a point remote from its pivotal connection with the wippen, said guide means having an opening accepting said abstract slidably in a rodlike portion thereof and an additional contiguous opening for permitting passage of said pivotal element.

2. The structure claimed in claim l wherein said abstract is a rod of light metal.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said abstract is a rod of light material in which the angularly disposed end is a bent-over portion of said rod, said bent-.over portion being ilattened and provided `with a sound-deadening element for contacting a capstan screw on Said key.

4. The structure claimed in claim l wherein said abstract is a rod of light material in which the angularly disposed end is a bent-over portion of said rod, said bent-over portion being flattened and provided with a sound-deadening element for contacting a capstan screw on said key, the end of said abstract opposite said bent-over end having a portion oi reduced thickness, said pivotal element comprising a pin-like portion extending rigidly from said reduced portion substantially at a right angle to said reduced portion.

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 wherein said pin-like portion has an end turned substantially at a right angle, and wherein said additional contiguous opening has a reduced cross-section whereby said abstract may be withdrawn upwardly from said guide upon positioning to permit said pin-like portion to pass through said reduced connecting opening.

6. The structure claimed in claim 4. wherein said pin-like portion has an end turned substantially at a right angle, and wherein said wippen has a reduced end with an opening therein to receive said pin-like portion, said last mentioned opening having a connection with the lower edge of said reduced end, said last mentioned opening kand said connection being hushed with a resilient substance whereby said pin-like portion can be snapped into and out of pivotal connection with said wippen.

7. In an action for pianos having wippens below the keys, an abstract for connecting a wippen to a key, said abstract comprising a stiff rod of light metal having a. substantially rectilinear body and an angularly related upper end, said upper end being fiattened, the lower end oi said abstract being reduced in thickness and provided with a rigid pin extending substantially normal to the axis of said abstract.

8. In an action for pianos having wippens 6 below the keys, an abstract for connecting a wippen to a key, said abstract comprising a stiff rod of light metal having a substantially rectilinear body and an angularly related upper end, said upper end being iiattened, and a lower end reduced in thickness and provided with a rigid pinlike portion extending substantially normal to the axis of said abstract, in combination with guide means for said abstract comprising a plate-like member having an opening therein to receive the body ofthe abstract slidably, there being a connection between said opening and the outer edge of said plate-like member, said connection being of reduced cross-section, but permitting the withdrawal of said abstract from said guide upwardly upon rotation thereof to permit said pin-like portion to pass through said connection.

9. The structure claimed in claim 3 wherein the pivotal element comprises a wire loop having a bail portion engaging said wippen, side elements and a shank, said shank being in substantial axial engagement with said abstract, and said side elements adapted to lie on either side of the abstract pivoting portion of said wippen.

10. An abstract for connecting a wippen to a key in pianos, said abstract comprising a stiff rod of light material having a substantially straight body portion, an angularly related upper end for contacting the capstan screw of a key, and a wire element at the lower end providing a pivoting element for connection to a wippen, said pivoting element being directed substantially I normal to the axis of said body, said wire element including parts at both ends of said pivoting element to prevent axial displacement of said pivoting element when in engagement with the wippen.

ll. The structure claimed in claim l0 wherein said pivoting element is formed as the bail portion of a wire loop having a shank in axial engagement with said body, and wherein said parts for preventing axial displacement of said pivoting element comprise the side portions of said wire loop.

12. The structure claimed in claim l0 wherein said pivoting element is formed as the bail portion oi a wire loop having side portions and a central shank in which the ends of the wire are twisted together, said shank being located substantially axially in a bore in said body, said body being crimped about said shank.

13. In a piano an action rail, a wippen pivoted to said rail, a key frame located above said wippen, a key mounted for actuation on said frame,

and an abstract for connecting said wippen and f said key, said abstract having a rigid rod-like body of elongated form with an angularly disposed end contacting said key and a pivotal connection between said abstract and said wippen, said connection having means to prevent axial rotation of said abstract, and guide means for said abstract located below its key contacting end at a point remote from its pivotal connection with the wippen, said guide means comprising a guide rail having a superposed layer of sounddeadening material secured thereto, said sounddeadening material having an opening therein approximating the cross-sectional dimensions of said abstract and accepting said abstract slidably in a rod-like portion thereof, and an opening in said guide rail of larger dimensions than the cross-sectional dimensions of said abstract responding in location to the opening in said sounddeadeningmaterial.

14. In a piano action including an action rail, a wippen pivoted to said rail, a key frame, a key mounted for actuation on said frame and an abstract for connecting said wippen and said key, guide means for said abstract comprising a guide rail, a layer of sound-deadening material secured to one surface of said guide rail, said sounddeadening material having an opening therein approximating the cross-sectional dimensions of the abstract connecting the wippen and the key and adapted to accept the abstract slidably but without undue play, and an opening in said guide rail larger in dimensions than the cross-sectional dimensions of the abstract, said last mentioned opening responding in location to the opening in said sound-deadening material.

15. The structure of claim 14 wherein said guide rail comprises a thin metallic member of elongated form angular in cross-section.

16. The structure of claim 14 wherein said opening in said guide rail has an additional contiguous opening for permitting passage of a pinlike portion of the abstract when in alignment with said additional contiguous opening, said sound-deadening material being severed in the 10 area of said additional contiguous opening.

ARMAND F. KNOBLAUGH.

No references cited. 

